Gerda Taro: A Female War Photographer in the Spotlight — “Eighty-one years after Gerda Taro was killed while covering the Spanish Civil War, the pioneering photojournalist is finally getting the recognition she deserves, in the most contemporary way possible: On her birthday, August 1, she is the subject of a Google Doodle. While she has long been recognized as one of the first female photographers to cover conflicts from the front lines, Taro’s images from the Spanish Civil War remained relatively unknown until they were rediscovered in 2007. Here, a look back at the forgotten photographer who paved the way for countless other women in her field.”

9th Circuit Rejects Courts’ “One Size Fits All” Bit Torrent Ruling — Stephen Carlisle looks at last week’s Ninth Circuit opinion in Glacier Films (USA) Inc. v. Turchin, an infringement lawsuit brought by a filmmaker against an individual alleged to have illegally downloaded the film. The lower court had declined to award attorneys fees to the filmmaker after the parties agreed to a settlement, a decision the Ninth Circuit held was incorrect.

Sony Taken to Court Over ‘Slender Man’ Threats — Slender Man, the most spookiest of memes, finds himself at the center of a copyright dispute. Unlike some memes, Slender Man has a clear providence: he was created by Eric Knudsen in 2009. The issue here, however, has to do with alleged similarities between Slender Man, the subject of a spooky movie being developed by Sony’s Screen Gems, and the monster appearing in the film Flay, produced by Phame Factory. Phame Factory filed a declaratory judgment action against Sony following a series of cease and desist letters from Sony alleging similarities between the two spooky monsters.

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Copyhype provides news and info on current developments relating to copyright law, the media industries, and the digital economy. It cuts through the hype to bring reasoned discussion aimed at both legal and nonlegal audiences.

Terry Hart is currently VP Legal Policy and Copyright Counsel at the Copyright Alliance. Any opinions expressed on this site remain his own and not necessarily those of his present or any past employers.